


Cain

by Polyhexian



Series: Humanformers: The Music AU [38]
Category: The Transformers (IDW Generation One), Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: AU, Gen, Humanformers, POV Third Person, we talkin about trauma today lads
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-11
Updated: 2020-09-11
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:09:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26416195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Polyhexian/pseuds/Polyhexian
Summary: "Brainstorm," said Chromedome, "What have you done?"
Relationships: Chromedome/Rewind (Transformers)
Series: Humanformers: The Music AU [38]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1859230
Comments: 15
Kudos: 26





	Cain

Chromedome woke up to a shake, blinking in surprise and trying to orient to where he was and what was going on.

"Domey," Rewind said, voice low, "Did you fall asleep here?"

Chromedome looked at him for a moment, before he wiped the bleariness from his eyes and turned his gaze down to Brainstorm, who was clutching his waist, face buried, still asleep. 

"Yeah," he murmured, "Sorry."

"No, don't be sorry- he's asleep, it's okay. I just want to make sure someone's keeping an eye on him."

"Yeah," Chromedome sighed, staring down at his oldest friend, motionless, "God knows what he might do."

"Try not to worry too much," Rewind soothed, sitting down on the mattress, "He came here in the first place. No matter how far gone he is, he still came looking for help. That's important." 

"God, I hope so."

"You should get some rest," Rewind suggested, putting a hand on his leg, "I can stay with him."

"I don't know if I can," Chromedome groaned, "I'm too stressed."

"I know, but-" 

Brainstorm stirred, suddenly, tightening his grip around Chromedome's waist. 

"Hey," said Chromedome, canting his head down toward him, "Hey, Storm, how are you doing?" 

Brainstorm tilted his head into Chromedome's stomach, silent. 

"Brainstorm," he prompted again, "Are you feeling any better?"

Brainstorm ducked his head further, making it clear he didn't plan to answer. Chromedome sighed and looked up at Rewind. 

"It's okay," Rewind said, voice soft, "He'll talk when he's ready."

Chromedome grimaced, brushing Brainstorm's hair aside. "If I make you some food, will you eat it?"

Brainstorm shrugged.

"I'll take it," Chromedome sighed, and gently pulled away from Brainstorm's grasp as he stood up. Rewind shifted to take his place, sitting next to Brainstorm as he turned away, curling in on himself into a ball, his back pressed against Rewind's side. 

In the kitchen, Chromedome thumbed through the cabinet, trying to decide what to give him, what he might be willing to eat. He decided on tomato soup, something that was liquid only but would at least be a little filling.

He finished warming the soup on the stove and moved it to a bowl, before he headed back to the guest room upstairs.

"Oh, shit," he cried, when he reached the doorway and found that Brainstorm had shifted away from his silent fetal position and was now buried in Rewind's arms, sobbing. Rewind gave him a sharp, pointed look and immediately gestured at him to _get over here._ Chromedome floundered, looking for somewhere to put the soup, and then set the bowl on the floor and scrambled up onto the guest bed to reach toward his friend, confused and alarmed.

"Hey," Chromedome said, trying to sound soothing, "Hey, hey, it's alright. What's wrong?" 

Brainstorm shook his head, still crying into Rewind's arms, and Chromedome's shoulders sank, feeling helpless. 

"It's okay, Stormy," Rewind hushed, rubbing his back, "Let it out."

Chromedome sat back, stomach turning in sickened circles. A beep from Brainstorm's pocket drew his attention.

"Hey," he said, "Is it okay if I shoot out some emails for you and let people know you're not coming in today?" 

Brainstorm reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, throwing it onto the comforter. Chromedome picked the old Blackberry up and slid it open, fumbling with the keys to find his email. 

"Oh, god," he breathed, scrolling down past dozens of unread emails, asking where he was, why he hadn't showed up to the classes he taught, why he hadn't been attending classes, why he wasn't responding, going back three _weeks._ "Brainstorm, what have you been _doing?_ You're going to lose your scholarship. Forget the scholarship, you're going to get kicked out of the program, what were you _thinking?_ "

Brainstorm curled inward, face hidden, and choked on a breathless sob, hiccuping. 

"What happened?" Rewind prompted.

"He's not gone to class in three weeks," Chromedome told him, "He's not even called in sick."

"Stormy, what _happened?"_ Rewind whispered, looking down at him in horror.

Both of them turned to the phone in Chromedome's hand when it began to ring, the caller ID reading _Detective._

"A detective is calling you?" Chromedome said, uncertainly, holding the Blackberry out toward Brainstorm, who didn't move.

"Answer it," Brainstorm croaked, "I can't ignore him."

Chromedome furrowed his brow before he answered the call and held the phone up to his ear.

"You've gone and done it now, kid, this-"

"Uh-," Chromedome interrupted the speaker, "Sorry, this isn't him. My name is Chromedome, I'm his- uh, I used to be his roommate. Brainstorm's not feeling well right now." 

"...Can't say I'm surprised," said the speaker, "My name is Detective Nightbeat, with the Rodion police force. I need him to come in and give a statement."

Chromedome processed for a beat, and then two, before he covered the receiver and hissed under his breath, "Why the _fuck_ is a cop calling you? What did you _do?_ "

"He's got everything he needs," Brainstorm snapped, "I don't owe him anything else."

"He wants a statement! What does he want a statement about, Storm?" He uncovered the phone. "Uh, urgently? He's in no state right now."

"As soon as possible."

"About _what?_ "

"Listen," Nightbeat sighed, "Chromedome, was it? You sound like a decent friend. He's not a suspect in anything. I know the kid and I know he didn't do this. But he knew if he was gonna dig up his brother's corpse he was gonna look bad. I need to get him in here before my boss talks to the press."

"He dug up a _corpse?_ " Chromedome repeated, balking, "He has a _brother?_ "

" _Had_ ," Brainstorm laugh-sobbed, shaking violently.

"I need him to come in. He knows he wants to talk to me and not somebody else. If you're his friend, get him here sooner rather than later."

"Yeah, uh- I'm gonna have to call you back," Chromedome said, feeling a little dazed, "We'll. Do that. I gotta go." He hung up the call and dropped the phone, covering his mouth and taking a deep inhale.

"Should I call my lawyer?" Rewind asked, uncertainly. 

"Never talk to cops without a lawyer," Chromedome mumbled, then turned toward Brainstorm. "Storm. What have you _done_?"

Brainstorm didn't respond. Chromedome waited a moment before he set a hand on his shoulder and made to turn him and Brainstorm flinched, pulling away from Rewind and curling back into a ball the other way, dragging a pillow over his head.

"Remember how I always said I didn't wanna go home over break cuz my family was all the way in Praxus?" Brainstorm croaked, voice on the edge of breaking.

"Yeah," Chromedome confirmed, thinking of the many holidays Brainstorm had stayed in their dorm or apartment without him.

"I lied to you," he whispered, voice hoarse, "They're not in Praxus. They're not anywhere. They don't exist."

"What does that mean?" 

"I was raised in the foster system," he admitted, as if he were pleading guilty to a crime, "I never got adopted."

Chromedome felt his heart sink, thinking again of all those lonely holidays he had left him behind. "Oh." 

"But when I was ten I got moved to the Sol family. Just a single mom and her son. His name was Quark. He was nice to me." Brainstorm paused, then clutched the pillow tighter over his head. "I stayed there three years, the longest I ever stayed anywhere. She even said she was going to adopt me. You know, for real. But then Quark disappeared, she got rid of me, and I bounced from home to home until I aged out."

Chromedome's hand hovered anxiously, halfway between them, feeling like the floor had vanished and he had no idea how to make any of this better. "Brainstorm, I'm so sorry."

"But I _knew_ ," Brainstorm hissed, trembling, "I _knew_ he didn't run away. That's what they said at the time- that him and a friend from school got involved in drugs and he ran away. But I knew they were wrong. Quark wasn't like that. He never would have left me. Skids was weird and evasive and all the cops said he was a liar and he was just covering for his friend but they were _wrong_ and I knew it. He had a bootprint on his jacket and he didn't just seem evasive, he seemed _confused._ He had a _concussion_ and everybody said he was just a _liar._ "

Chromedome finally made up his mind and set his hand down on Brainstorm's arm. He visibly softened, shoulders sinking.

"...And then all those Tarn murders happened up north. And when they caught him I _knew_ him. He used to hang around the Quick Mart when he was younger. I _recognized_ him. But the MO was wrong, the location was wrong, it was years before the first confirmed victim, and they told me I was projecting, that I was inserting myself into the case because it was famous, that I just wanted to be on TV and get attention. I just wanted my brother back." 

Chromedome was silent, unable to say anything at all, but he squeezed Brainstorm's arm and hoped somehow the tiny gesture carried his feelings. 

"I've been trying to prove what happened to him since he went missing," Brainstorm murmured, "I finally found him. Three weeks ago I got in some soil sample analysis results and it- I figured it out. I figured it out and I found him." 

"Oh, god," Rewind breathed, horrified, "You found where he was buried." 

"You dug him up," Chromedome added, his voice shaking. 

"I _found_ him," Brainstorm repeated, "Just like I said I would."

"I'm going to call my lawyer," Rewind said, standing up, "He isn't giving a statement without one. Especially not when this is connected to a famous serial killer, this is going to blow up. I'll be back." 

Rewind left the room, pulling out his phone and typing something rapidly as he left. Chromedome swallowed thickly and turned back towards his friend, curled into himself and shaking. He crawled forward and sat next to him, leaning down to give him the closest approximation of a hug he possibly could in this position.

"It's going to be okay," Chromedome told him, voice shaking, "We'll figure it out. I've got you."

"You don't even like me," Brainstorm croaked.

"Shut up. You're my best friend," Chromedome said, tightening his grip, "You're my best friend and I love you. We're going to figure it out. I've got you." 

**Author's Note:**

> OKAY so when we thought about quark and how he might fit into this au we BOILED IT down to what was IMPORTANT and I think what was important was that... This was a relationship, a really important relationship, that was suddenly cut short without any closure. So I figured it should be someone he loved but it didn't have to be ROMANTIC love so. Instead of being someone he had a crush on we made quark his foster sibling he looked up to and who he tragically and unexpectedly lost during his formative years and never really recovered from. So yeah don't worry there's nothing funny going on there it's fully non romantic this is familial only


End file.
